


Wayward

by iscatterthemintimeandspace, Ttttrickster (iscatterthemintimeandspace)



Category: Supernatural, Wayward Sisters (TV)
Genre: Blood, Claire has wings, Gen, Minor Character Death, Mutants, Violence, Wayward Daughters Academy - Freeform, fightings, xmen au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-11-07 22:11:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11068167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iscatterthemintimeandspace/pseuds/iscatterthemintimeandspace, https://archiveofourown.org/users/iscatterthemintimeandspace/pseuds/Ttttrickster
Summary: Claire Novak has never been allowed outside her house. It might have been the fact that her father was overprotective, but she pretty sure it’s the fact she has wings. After her father, Jimmy goes missing, Claire decides to take matters into her own hands and find him herself. But what she finds is infinitely stranger than she expected





	1. Chapter 1

The night was cloudy and dark when Claire slipped out of her house, the perfect kind of night for what she had planned. While most teenagers her age were sneaking out to go to parties, Claire was sneaking out for something perfectly innocent. 

To fly. 

Claire Amelia Novak wasn’t like other teenagers. For one, she didn’t go to school, or play sports, or go shopping, and second, she had wings. Not wings like a butterfly either, she had wings like a bird, like angels in stained glass windows; white, feathery, extending for four feet on each side jutting out of her shoulder blades. 

She stole along the fence line in her darkened backyard, her wings tucked tightly against her, before she hopped the high wooden fence and escaped into the woods

She wasn’t allowed outside, not during the day anyway. The only fresh air she got was in the high fenced backyard after all the normal people had gone to bed, and even that wasn’t a lot. She wasn't allowed to fly higher than the fence top, or make any noise. It had been that way as long as she could remember.

Claire had had wings since she was born, shocking both the doctor and her parents. The doctors had suggested surgery, Claire’s parents had taken her home and told everyone she had a weak immune system, effectively keeping them all away. 

Up until her mother died when she was seven, she’d never seen anyone but her parents. 

Claire walked quickly through the trees, trying to get to the little clearing as fast as she could. The less time she spent out, the less chance there was of her father noticing she was missing. He watched her like a hawk, afraid that someone would find out their secret and cart his daughter off to a lab to study her. 

The clearing was the major discovery of one of her early nighttime excursions, a safe wooded area where she could spread her wings, both literally and figuratively. It was maybe half an acre in size, with a broken stone wall surrounding it. Claire suspected there had been a house once upon a time, but only the foundations remained. 

She shrugged off her jacket, and put her bag on top of the wall. She took a deep breath, unfolded her wings, and launched herself into the sky. 

There was nothing that compared to the feel of the wind in her hair or the weightlessness as she darted between trees and hurtled towards the ground. Claire was careful not to breach the treetops, but went as high as she could, taking deep breaths of cold, crisp air. It filled her with a high that was better than anything drugs could produce, not that she would know. 

She darted to and fro, gliding from the trees to skimming the grass with her toes before shooting up once again. She did this almost nightly, after her father had fallen asleep. It wasn’t like she wasn’t home all day anyway to catch up on her sleep. 

Claire flew and fell, her wings aching with a pleasant fatigue, her cheeks wind burnt and pink by the time she touched down back on the grass. She laid down, spreading her wings as she often did when she was alone in her own back yard, free of the house and the loving oppressiveness of her father. 

She knew her dad had good intentions, but that didn’t stop her from rebelling against him every chance she got. She wanted out, she wanted to experience the world, to make friends and not feel like a freak in a cage, even if she was one. 

Claire laid there for a moment, listening to the gentle sounds of the wood around her when one sound broke her from her dreaming: a stick snapped in half.

Someone was there. Someone had seen her. 

She struggled up from the ground, pulling the weight of her wings up until she could fold them against her back. She took off in the direction the sound had come from, leaving her bag and coat where she’d dropped them. 

Even though Claire had spent many nights in the woods, the section past the clearing was unfamiliar to her, and she kept getting her wings caught on low branches and bushes. Every time she got a glimpse of the person she was chasing, they seemed to sense it and dart away. 

By the time she reached the edge of the woods, she was out of breath and her wings and hair were filled with leaves and sticks. There was no sign of the person she was pursuing. Claire spent the next hour searching the nearby backyards and trees, but finally with the sun rising, she gave up and headed home. She had to be back before her dad got up or she would be in big trouble. 

Claire walked back through the woods, leaving her jacket and bag in the clearing for another night. She didn’t have time to get it. She hopped the wooden fence into her backyard, and carefully crept inside.

Thankfully Claire’s father was still asleep, she could hear him snoring as she slipped into the bathroom. 

She breathed a sigh of relief as she turned on the water and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water do its work on her aching muscles. She washed extra carefully, making sure she got every leaf and twig out of her curly hair, and the feathers of her wings. They were magnets for detritus, and if her Dad saw anything on her out of the ordinary, she would lose what little freedom she had. 

Drowsey from chasing a ghost through the woods, Claire flopped down on her bed, covered herself with the warm weight of her wings, and passed out.

~~~~

Claire awoke some hours later to the smell of cinnamon pancakes and coffee wafting into her bedroom. 

If Dad was making cinnamon pancakes, something was up. 

Throwing on a robe over her pajamas, she stumbled down the stairs and into the sweet smelling kitchen. 

Her father, Jimmy C. Novak, was whistling to himself as he flipped pancakes, hair looking as if he’d been running his hands through it, which he did frequently when he was agitated or nervous.

He looked over at her, sliding pancakes onto a plate. “Morning, Claire-bear.” 

Claire grumbled and poured herself a cup of coffee. She felt like death warmed over as she slipped into her chair. 

Her father raised an eyebrow, and put the plate down in front of her. “Long night?” 

“Studying,” Claire said. “The test for my GED is next week. I do want to eventually get out of high school, Dad.” 

His eyes crinkled as he smiled and ruffled her hair. “Of course,” he said, sitting down next to her. 

“What’s with the pancakes?” 

“Can’t I make pancakes for my favorite child without getting the third degree?” her father cut into his food, and slathered it with syrup. 

“One,” Claire began. “I’m your only child and two, you only make pancakes when something is going on. So out with it.” 

“Can’t fool you,” he smiled again. “I have a job interview today.” 

Claire blinked at him. “A new job?” 

“Think about it, Claire- bear,” her dad said. “We could get a bigger place in the country, away from everyone else. You wouldn’t have to worry about anyone seeing you…” 

“I didn’t know you were looking,” Claire frowned at him. “I thought you liked your job.” 

He took a sip of his coffee, black with three sugars. “I wasn’t, but I got approached with an offer that was too good to pass up. Think about it, Claire! Acres and acres to fly. We wouldn’t have to worry!” 

Claire couldn’t quite match her father’s enthusiasm. “We shouldn’t have to worry here, Dad. If I could just go outsid-” 

His brow furrowed. “We’ve talked about this, Claire,” he reminded gently. “ Your mother and I decided-” 

“She’s not around to decide anything anymore,” Claire burst out, getting up from the table. She hated when he brought up her mother more than anything, and it had become more and more frequent since she’d become a teenager. “She’s gone, Dad!” 

She wasn’t in the mood to hear about her mom right now. At least her mom let her go out sometimes, but after she died, her dad had locked her away, like she was some old time princess in a tower, like keeping her inside would make the world less cruel. 

Claire stomped off down the hall, leaving her father sitting with his coffee and pancakes. 

“Claire!” 

She slammed the door behind her so hard, one of the frames that was on her wall came down the a crash, the glass shattering as it hit the wooden floor. 

Claire picked it up, careful not to cut herself on the glass. It was one of the last pictures she’d taken with her mom before she died. She’d been upset that she couldn’t go to the carnival advertised on TV, so her mom gave her her own carnival in the back yard, complete with cotton candy and face painting. Claire had wanted her face painted like a tiger, and her father had done his best. 

He still was. 

She raced out of her bedroom. “Dad,” she called down the hallway. “Dad, I’m-” 

But her father was already outside, in his car, pulling out of the driveway. She watched him go as the last word spilled from her lips. 

“Sorry.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Claire's father doesn't come home, she takes matters into her own hands.

Claire kept herself busy all day, studying, baking, whatever she could to keep her mind off her father. She’d been out of line, she knew that, but it didn’t take away the guilt that was gnawing at her belly as she remembered the look on his face. 

It wasn’t unusual for her dad to be home late, but normally he texted her, and her phone was eerily silent. The bad feeling in her stomach only got worse as the hours ticked by, and she was so sick she could barely touch the food she’d made. 

Claire tried to tell herself everything was fine. That his interview went so well they’d taken him out of a big fancy dinner, but she couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. 

She settled onto the couch to wait for him, putting on the crappy reality TV they loved to watch together, her wings covering her like a blanket. 

She woke up with the morning sun, filtering through the blinds, and she popped up to listen for her father.

But Claire heard nothing.

Not the coffee pot, or the frying pan. Not the sound of the shower going, or even the normal bumbling in the closet that usually accompanied her father getting ready for work.

She heard nothing but her own breathing, and the staccato, panicked beating of her heart.

Claire picked up her phone and called her father’s cell, but it only went to voicemail. She called his office number, but it just kept ringing. She even called his secretary, Hannah, but she told her she hadn’t seen Jimmy since he left early yesterday.

Finally, she called the police.

It wasn’t as if Claire had never interacted with normal people, her aunts, uncles, and cousins came for holidays, and occasionally she had to see a doctor, but that didn’t stop her palms from growing clammy and her hands from shaking as she opened the door.

There were two officers standing there, both of them at least six feet tall. They were young, and they gawked at her wings when they stepped through the doorway.

“Officers Collins and Gabriel,” the shorter man said, flicking out his badge to show Claire his credentials. “You called about a missing person?”

“Yeah,” Claire found her voice. “My dad. He hasn’t been home since yesterday morning.”

It took the taller man a moment to find his voice, as he stared at her wings. “C-Could he be staying with a friend?”

Claire shook her head. “He hasn’t answered his phone. If he’s coming home late, he always tells me. Always,” she emphasized. “Something happened to him.”

She tried to tell them everything, about the weird job interview, about the fight they’d had before he left, but the two officers seemed more interested in her wings, than in her story. Their eyes kept drifting from her face to her feathers, causing her to ruffle them in annoyance.

“Hey!” she said, her wings puffed out behind her. “I’m down here, and I need to you find my dad!”

The taller one, who had longish hair and hazel eyes, chuckled. “He probably just needed a little vacation. I’m sure he’ll be back by tonight.”

Claire’s nostrils flared angrily as she followed them to the door, and saw them out. They didn’t believe her.

She knew something happened to him. Her dad had never left her alone for a single night since her mom died, not for a meeting, not for a date, not for anything. 

Claire stared daggers into their backs as they got into their stupid old car, and drove off.

Fine. If they wouldn’t help her she’d find him herself. 

~~~~

Claire waited until the street lamps came on to leave her house. She had to be careful, if someone took her father, they were definitely dangerous 

She only took a few things with her her, her beat up army jacket, and a bag stuffed with protein bars, and beef jerky. 

The air outside her house was crisp and still as she stepped into the night. She looked both ways at the end of her driveway, making sure the coast as clear before she launched herself up and into the sky. 

No rush had ever compared. 

She suppressed the urge to let out a whoop as she rose heavenward, her wings spread to their full potential. She glided over the houses of her neighbors, past winking lights in warm windows, past the streets that should be familiar to her, towards the one spot where she knew her father had been: his office. 

She’d start there. 

Her father’s building was the tallest in their town, four floors with large, bright windows. The few times Claire had been out of the house, her father made sure they drove past it. ‘There’s where Daddy works!’ he’d say, pointing up at the window. ‘That window in the corner,’

She flew around the back of the building, and landed on the window ledge, peaking inside. It was her father’s office alright, she could see faded childhood drawings in frames on the walls, and pictures of her and her mother on his desk. 

The window was locked, and Claire struggled to keep her balance as she dug in her pocket for her tools. Her father would be appalled, she thought as she bent and started to work. Lock picking seemed like a practical skill to her, especially for someone who was forced to live on the fringe. 

It popped open with another twist of her clip and she climbed off the ledge and into the office, tucking her wings against her back. 

Everything in the office screamed her dad. She grinned to herself as she sat behind his desk, tracing his messy chicken- scratch handwriting with her finger. 

There were more pictures of her under the glass of his desktop, ranging in age from a chubby, pink cheeked baby to a picture he’d taken last year of her after their water balloon fight. Her mother also featured prominently, beaming up at her from her parent’s wedding picture, and bouncing a toddler Claire with her tiny fluffy wings on her knee. 

Claire looked to her father’s cluttered calendar, searching for some clue to where he’d gone. She flipped through his battered day planner, flipping to yesterday’s date. It said “Interview 10 am” circled in bright red pen. 

There was nothing else written on the page, not a phone number, not an address, just a plain white sheet of paper. 

She snapped the planner shut and stood up again, walking across the small room. There was framed artwork, both homemade and purchased, on the walls, a worn leather couch, with a handmade blanket from her grandmother. 

There was nothing out of place as far as she could tell, nothing glaringly obvious that screamed kidnapping, but she couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. 

She heard a noise in the hall, and crouched down, freezing as she waited for it to pass. Claire listened, hoping to hear the clang of a bucket or the roar of the vacuum, but she heard no such thing. 

The door handle jiggled, and then opened. 

It was her dad. 

Claire stood at once, her knees shaking. “D-dad?” 

He smiled at her, and rubbed his hands together. “Hey there, Claire,” he said, like he’d never left. There was something about his smile that sent goosebumps up and down her arms. 

“Where?” Claire stammered. “You didn’t come home! Where were you?”

Her father took a step closer to her. “Well you know how it is…I worked late, had a few drinks…”

Claire was close to tears now. The man standing in front of her didn’t sound a thing like her father, who had never left her alone a night in her life. 

“You’re not my father,” Claire snapped. “What did you do with him?” 

Her father’s face froze and then he grinned. “I’m impressed.” he said, taking a step closer. His voice was higher than it had been just a second ago. 

The change started at his feet, a wave of blue scales turning his slacks into the plump calves of a woman. 

“That’s better, ” the woman sighed, smirking at her. She was like nothing Claire had ever seen, completely blue, and naked with red hair and yellow eyes. “Don’t you think?”

“Who are you and what do you want?” 

The blue woman started to circle her, all grace and swagger like a lioness playing with her food. “Name’s Bela,” she purred, running a hand through her hair and shaking it out. “And I’ve come with a little offer from my boss, Rowena.” 

Claire casually slipped hand into her back pocket, acting every bit the surly teenager. “I’m not going anywhere until I find my dad.” 

“So he can keep you locked up?” Bela spat back. “Like a freak? You want to go back to that? With us, you can be free.” 

“With you and Rowena? What kind of name is that anyway?” Claire taunted, her fingers curling tightly around the pocket knife she kept there. “Sounds like an Elvira rip-off.”

“The name of someone who's really interested in meeting you,” Bela responded. “You and those wings of yours. I bet she’d even help you find your daddy.”

“And if I say no?” 

Bela cracked her knuckles. “Not a good idea, Birdie.” she lunged forward. 

Claire flipped the knife out of her pocket, backing up and slashing at Bela’s face. 

But the other woman was quicker, and she dodged Claire’s strike, crouching, and sweeping her off her feet. Claire landed on her wings with a groan on the carpeted floor, her knife spinning out of sight. 

She scrambled to her feet, her wings curling around her in a protective circle. She lashed out with one of them, sending Bela into the bookcase. 

She sprawled out on the floor, and then got to her knees with a feral smirk. “Baby angel wants to play, does she?” she taunted, wiping a trickle of blood from her lip. 

Claire knew she had to get away, there was no way she could take Bela. Her father had taught her some basic self-defense moves, but other than that, she had nothing. Claire backed towards the open window, but Bela pounced, throwing herself on top of Claire in one smooth movement.

Bela straddled Claire’s chest, effectively pinning her arms and wings to the ground. “She said I had to bring you back alive,” she breathed. “She didn’t say you had to be conscious.” 

Under her, Claire struggled with all she was. But with Bela’s knees on her wing joints, she couldn’t lift her, she could only flap uselessly as Bela brought her fist down on her face. 

Claire tasted blood in her mouth as Bela hit her over and over. She heard the crack of her nose, struggling to breathe as warm liquid clogged her nostrils. Her vision was clouded, and Bela’s face swam above her, her lips a red smear against her blue skin. She was quickly losing consciousness, unable to struggle against her attacker, or fight back. 

Her last coherent memory was Bela being ripped off her and a pair of arms carrying her before she faded into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire meets the people who rescued her and gets a better idea of what's going on.

Claire awoke to the smell of freshly laundered sheets, and clean hair. The room she was in was bright white and it took her a moment to shake the fuzzy feeling from her head enough to realize this was not her room.

She was sore all over and she stifled a groan as she tried to sit up. 

“I wouldn’t do that,” came a voice from her right. 

Claire looked over, her eyes widening when she saw a girl about her age sitting there. She was blue, and she had a tail hovering lazily behind her like a balloon on string. “Who… What are you?” 

The girl’s nose wrinkled. “My name is Krissy, and what I am is a mutant, just like you.” 

Claire’s first reaction was to deny it. It was an ugly word, mutant, but she supposed it was an accurate description of what they were. 

“Claire,” she started. “Is that what they call..” she indicated her wings, and then Krissy. “What we are?” 

“It’s the nicest thing norms call us, but Jody prefers “gifted”,” she made air quotes and Claire noticed she only had three fingers on her hand. 

“Who’s Jody?” 

“She’s the woman who runs this place,” Krissy responded, leaning back in her chair, watching Claire with her luminous yellow eyes. “Well, her and Donna.”

“Where are we?” Claire ran a hand through her hair and felt the tender bump on her head. She strongly suspected she had black eyes as well. At least her nose wasn’t broken. 

“The Wayward Daughters Academy for the Gifted,” Krissy responded. “Everyone here is like us. Jody and Donna too. That reminds me. I’m supposed to bring you to them when you woke up.” 

Claire looked down. She was dressed at least, even if the clothes weren’t hers. “I’m starving,” she protested. 

Krissy got up. “I’ll take you to the dining room after but…” she disappeared in a puff of smoke. Claire got up from bed hurriedly, looking for her. She reappeared a moment later, on the foot of the bed. She was holding an apple, grinning widely. “This’ll have to keep you until later.” 

“You can freaking disappear!?” Claire burst out, grabbing Krissy’s shoulder to make sure she was real. She laughed and got up, tossing Claire the apple.

“I told you, mutant.” she giggled. “Now let’s get going before Jody gets mad.” 

Claire held the apple in complete disbelief. “What else can you do?” she asked, following her out of the small room. 

Krissy let her into a hallway that would not look out of place in a museum, high vaulted ceilings, walls hung with tapestries and paintings. “Watch this.”

She put her hands to the wall and scrambled up, sticking to the wood like a gecko. “See?” 

“KRISSY!” 

Both girls turned to see another young woman, a couple years older than them both, angrily walking towards them. “Get down this instant!” 

“Oh, Jo,” Krissy whined, dropping down onto the floor. “You’re no fun.” 

“Donna and Jody are waiting for you, and you’re goofing off.” the blonde looked over at Claire. “I’m Jo.” 

“Claire,” Claire responded, looking Jo up and down for any obvious mutations, but she looked… normal. 

Jo gave Krissy an indulgent smile. “Let’s go before you get into any more trouble.” She ruffled Krissy’s hair in an affectionate way and led them further down the hall. 

Claire followed behind them, taking it all in. This didn’t look like any school she’d ever seen. 

Finally Jo pushed open a solid wooden door and held it open, offering her a half-smile. “I think you’ll like Jody.” 

Claire stepped into the room and looked back for Krissy and Jo, only to find they’d closed the door, and she was alone. 

She stood awkwardly in the room, examining every shelf and book case. Despite all the books, it didn’t seem to be a library, more of a study with a heavy wooden desk. It was then she noticed the woman sitting behind it, watching her. 

“Uhh…” Claire stammered. “I’m Claire.”

The woman smiled and got up, crossing the floor to come to her. She was dressed comfortably in jeans and a well- loved flannel shirt. Her hair was short and brown, and her eyes were friendly, almost motherly. 

“I know who you are,” she said. “I’m Jody Mills, and this is my school. I know you must have a lot of questions.”

“My dad…” Claire started. She didn’t care about anything else. “Bela… she looked like my dad..How…?”

Jody sighed and beckoned Claire back towards the desk. There was a plate of cookies and pot of tea waiting for them. Claire took a seat. 

The teapot rose into the air steadily, tilting to pour them both a cup of tea. Claire stared in amazement.

“Did you do that?” 

Jody smiled at her. “Telepathy and Telekinesis. I can move things with my mind. That’s my gift.” She took the teacup from the air. “Bela’s gift is shapeshifting. She can copy any person’s appearance and voice. She’s also well trained in martial arts.” 

“Yeah, I got that part,” Claire responded, taking a pink iced cookie from the plate. “How did I get here? Where is here?” 

“Here is Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and you’re here because we brought you here. We got there in time to get Bela off you, and send her scurrying back to Rowena.” Jody replied, taking a sip of her tea. 

“What does she want?” Claire asked her. “She said Rowena had an offer for me. Who is Rowena?” 

Jody sighed again. “Rowena has a different … attitude about our gifts. She believes that mutants are better than humans, and that we should be ruling over them. She tries to bring as many gifted people over to her side as possible.” 

Claire bit into her cookie, chewing as she thought. She’d never thought of herself as better than a normal person, just different. “Did they take my dad? He’s not… one of us. He’s just ordinary.”

“I don’t know, Claire,” Jody said, putting her cup down in its saucer. “What I do know is that we are going to do our damndest to get him back.” 

Claire blinked at her. She hadn’t expected a complete stranger to be so invested in what had happened to her father. “... I don’t have any money… I can’t pay you.” 

Jody just smiled. “We don’t want anything from you, Claire, only for you to be safe and happy. We’ll find your dad, but until then you can stay here, with us.” 

“Here?”

“Yes, here,” Jody laughed, getting up. “C’mon let me introduce you to the rest of the girls.” 

~~~

Claire’s heart was pounding as she followed Jody into the dining room. All conversation stopped when she walked in, all eyes on her. She could see Krissy grinning at her from the back of the room, where she was sitting on a table with two other girls. 

“Guys” Jody hollered. “This is Claire, she’ll be staying with us for while, so be nice.” 

When she stopped talking, the room immediately erupted in noise again and Claire walked over to Krissy. 

“So Wings, you’re livin’ with us now?” she asked, her white teeth in stark contrast with her blue skin. 

“At least until Jody helps me find my dad,’ Claire nodded, taking a seat. 

“This is Alex,” Krissy said, indicating the pretty brunette to her right. “And this is Eileen.” The black haired girl to her left waved at her. 

They both looked pretty normal to Claire, nothing as obvious as her or Krissy. Was it rude to ask? She wondered. At least they could hide what they were. 

“Welcome,” Eileen said, smiling at her. She signed as she spoke, and it took her a minute to realize she was deaf. 

Claire signed a quick ‘hi’. She knew a little ASL, from her correspondence courses, but not enough to have a long conversation. Eileen’s smile got bigger. 

“Thank you,” she said, touching the tips of her finger to her chin and extending away from her chest. 

“I guess we don’t need to ask what your gift is,” Alex added, indicating Claire’s wings. “You can fly, I’m guessing.” 

Claire suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “Yeah, I can fly. What about you?” 

Alex tossed her long hair over her shoulder, and the bowl in front of her began to rise shakily off the table. 

“Like Jody then?” Claire asked. Alex nodded and Claire looked expectantly at Eileen, but she shook her head. 

“I can’t do it in here,” she grinned again. “But later, outside, I’ll show you.” 

“I’ll hold you to that.” 

~~~

Claire was surprised how good of a time she had with the other girls. Even Alex, who had first come off as haughty and vain, turned out to be better than Claire expected. 

After a tour of the grounds, a visit to the communal closet, and dinner, Claire was more than ready for a hot shower and a full night's sleep. 

She followed Krissy back to their new room and sighed as she flopped down on the clean bed.

The detergent smell reminded her of home, and all her despair came tumbling back. She choked on her own tears, trying to keep them in, and failing miserably. 

The bed suddenly dipped and there was a warm hand rubbing gently between her wings. 

“Shhh, it’ll be okay,” Krissy whispered. “They’ll find him.” 

Claire wasn’t so sure. 

~~~  
Claire grumbled as Krissy’s alarm clock went off. It had been three weeks since her father disappeared and getting up early hadn’t gotten any easier. Their classes started after a light breakfast, and no coffee and that left Claire grumpy and shaky. 

At first, she had argued that she shouldn't be wasting her time in class when she could be out looking for her father, but Jody had shot that idea down. Claire needed to learn to control her powers if she wanted to help. In the meantime, she insisted Claire start classes with the rest of the girls. 

They were like no class Claire had every heard of before. They still did basic classes like algebra and English, but the rest of the curriculum was focused on learning what it mean to be a mutant. 

The girl were separated by the type of power they had. Telepaths like Alex were in one group, more physical mutations like Claire and Krissy in another. So she was surprised when Eileen and another normal looking redhead joined their little group. Up until now, it had just been background informations, the biology of mutation, famous mutants and the like, but today they had been instructed to meet in the back of the school, in a space that had been a football field in another life. There were stands set up holding cans and bottles, and what looked like a skeet shooter towards one end. 

“I told you you would get to see my gift,” Eileen smiled at Claire as she joined them. “This is Charlie.” 

Charlie waved at them. “Alex wasn’t lying about your wings,” she said brightly “They really are gorgeous!” 

Claire blushed hot and red at the compliment. Suddenly a voice drew them all in. 

“C’mon ladies,” she said. Standing in front of them, was a chubby blonde woman, wearing dark sunglasses, even though the sky above them was cloudy. “Let’s get started! I’ll be teaching you now that we’re outside. Claire, you're with me.”

Claire gave her friends a startled look and carefully walked over to the woman. She'd seen her before, with Jody, but had never spoken to her. 

“Hey there, I’m Donna,” she said, positively beaming at Claire. “We’re just gunna watch the others for a little, okie-dokie?” 

Claire couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. This woman was ray of freaking sunshine, and she couldn’t tell if it was real or fake. “Okay.”

“I know you’ve spoken with Jody about your dad, but I just wanted to say we’re tryin’ our darndest to find out what's going on.” There was a pleasant twang in her voice, midwestern by the sound of it. 

“Thanks,” Claire replied, crossing her arms over her chest and watching the others. She’d really been looking forward to seeing what the rest of them could do. 

Charlie was up first. She shot Krissy a grin as the other girl manned the skeet shooter. She fired two into the air, and Charlie’s hands glowed red. Two fizzing red orbs shot from her palms and through the air, obliterating the clay disks into dust. 

“Holy shit, that was cool!” Claire burst out, staring in disbelief at the laughing redhead and then at Donna. She just grinned. 

Krissy stepped up next, making a show to stretching her neck and cracking her knuckles before she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Claire could barely follow her movement as little puffs of smoke appear next to all the bottles knocking them to the ground. Before she knew it, Krissy was standing back where she started. The whole thing had taken less than a minute. 

Eileen high fived her as she walked over to take her turn. Donna reached into her pocket and handed Claire something small: ear plugs. 

“What are these for?” she asked. 

Donna smiled at her again, pushing her own pink ear plugs in. “You’ll see in a second.” 

Still confused, Claire pushed them in, blocking out all sound. 

Eileen looked back at all of them, and waited until all of them gave her a thumbs up. She opened her mouth. 

Even though Claire couldn’t hear anything through the rubber, she could feel the vibrations in the soles of her feet. The ground was shaking at the force of Eileen’ voice and when she turned her head down, she rose a few feet in the air. 

She was flying… on sound waves. It was incredible. There was simply no other word Claire knew to describe it. Eileen touched back down and aimed her voice at the bottles that were still set up after Krissy’s run, and shattered them in one shot. 

Eileen grinned as she gave them the thumbs up to take their plugs out. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Claire shook her head. “You can fly on sound waves?” 

Eileen nodded. “We can fly together,” she walked towards them. “You should see what Donna can do.” 

“Nope,” Donna smiled at all of them. “It’s Claire’s turn.” 

Claire turned to look at the older woman. “I can fly,” she shrugged. “After that, it’s not so exciting. What can you do? Will you show me?” 

The other girls were now surrounding them, grinning with knowing smiles. “Just show her,” Krisy chimed in. Donna snorted and laughed. 

“Alright, alright, but just this once,” she gave in. “Krissy, would you be so kind?” 

Krissy disappeared in another puff of black smoke, and reappeared by the clay shooter. “Whenever you’re ready.” 

“Not a word to Jody,” Donna told all of them. “Pull!”

Krissy pushed the handle of the machine down, firing two clay disk into the air. 

Donna took off her glasses and opened her eyes. Two beams of red light shot out of them, zipping through the air and turning the disks into a fine mist of particles. Donna snapped her glasses back on with the flourish. 

Claire couldn't speak for a moment. “Are you fucking kidding me?” she burst out with finally. “You have laser eyes!”

“Language, Claire,” Donna laughed, clearly pleased with her reaction. “You wanna show us what you can do with those wings?” 

Claire looked around at the other girls. No one save her parents had ever seen her fly, and she'd never had so much room before. 

She took off at a run, and leaped into the air, feeling the first cold rush of wild in her face. She flapped her wings, trying to get as high as she could go, before gliding down towards the rest of the group. She soared up again, stretching her wings out to their full eight foot span, marveling at the feeling. 

Finally she landed in front of Donna and Krissy with a thump, grinning from ear to ear. “So what do you think? Awesome right?” she was out of breath from flying, and it took her a moment to realize what the other girls were doing. 

Push-ups. 

Claire groaned, and dropped to the ground with the others. Outside class wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Claire meets some familiar faces.

Claire awoke a couple weeks later to a commotion. The entire school was in an uproar and she got up to find Krissy, and the rest of her friends gone. She threw on a hoodie over her pajamas and went in search of Jody. 

It didn’t take her long to follow the flood of students into the dining hall, where Jody and Donna were speaking to each other in hushed tones. 

Claire spotted Krissy and Eileen standing off to one side and made a beeline for them. 

“What the hell is going on?” 

“There’s been another kidnapping,” Krissy said. The smile that normally graced her face was gone and she looked pale. 

“Kidnapping?” Claire looked to Eileen. 

Krissy sighed. “Mutants are being kidnapped,” she explained. “And their parents. Just like yours. This is the fourth one so far.” 

Claire felt like she couldn’t breathe, her chest tight. “Who? And why the parents? If Rowena is just after the mutants, why take the parents too?” 

Eileen shrugged. “No one knows. They just… disappear, except you.” 

Claire knew what her next step would be. She excused herself and made a beeline for Jody and Donna. 

“I can help,” she burst out, eyes flicking between the two women. 

“Absolutely not,” Jody responded. “It’s too dangerous. You need to stay here, where it’s safe.”

“They’ve got my dad!” Claire snapped. “I can’t just sit here doing nothing.” 

“Your dad would want you to stay here,” Jody replied coolly. “Whatever they’re taking them for, they need you, and if I know Bela, they’ll stop at nothing to get you.”

“Please,” Claire begged. “Please, I can help.” 

“Claire-” Jody started. 

“I’ll take her,” someone cut in, and Claire spun around. Jo had stepped forward, thumbs hooked her belt loops. “She’ll be safe with me.” 

Behind her, Jody sighed. “Fine,” she relented. “Just to look around. Nothing more, am I understood?” 

Claire could have kissed Jo right then and there.. “Understood!” Claire squeaked. “When can we leave?” 

~~~  
Four hours later found them driving towards the crime scene in Jo’s beat up LeSabre in silence. It wasn’t the same comfortable quiet Claire often enjoyed with her father, but a tense, awkward one that could be cut with a knife. 

“So,” Claire snuck a sideways glance at Jo. “How long have you been at the Academy?” 

She watched as Jo pulled a carton of cigarettes out of her pocket, and stuck one in her mouth. She lit it and took a long pull before answering. “Since they opened it, and I’ve known Jody for a lot longer than that,” she cracked the window and blew out a cloud of smoke. “Now ask what you’ve really been wanting to ask me.” 

Claire blinked at her for a moment. “What’s your gift?” she asked finally. 

Jo chuckled, and took another drag. “God, you sound like Jody. My mutation you mean?” She held out her hand, and Claire watched as long metal claws slid out of her skin from between her knuckles. 

“Doesn’t that hurt?” 

Jo laughed again, blowing her smoke to the side. “Every time,” she grinned, her other hand steady on the wheel as she retracted the claws back into her skin. “But they do come in handy.” 

She turned down a quiet looking street, and pulled up in front of homey yellow house. There were already a couple cars parked in front. “Follow my lead,” Jo whispered harshly as she climbed out of the car and stalked over towards the small crowd of people, Claire at her heels.

At first, Claire took the two men in the group to be normal officers, but as she got closer, she realized she’d seen them before. “Hey I know you!” 

Jo shot her a warning look, but she ignored it. “Officers Gabriel and Collins, right? You came to my house.” 

The two men blinked at her and the looked at Jo, who shrugged. “They aren’t really police officers-” 

“Yeah, I got that part,” Claire snorted. “They're investigating the disappearing mutants and their parents, right?” 

“Smart girl,” the last remaining woman said, and Claire turned to look at her. She was stunning, simply put, with curly ringlets, dark skin and large, luminous eyes. “Just like your mother,” she purred. “I’m Billie.” 

She didn’t hold out her hand to shake and it took a minute for Claire to process what she’d just said. “You knew my moth-” 

“Let’s go inside,” Jo interrupted quickly, grabbing the top of Claire’s arm and dragging her away from the two fake cops and Billie.

“Hey!” 

“You heard Jody. We are not here to talk,” Jo whispered at her, letting her go. “Her and Donna pulled a lot of strings to get us here. Don’t make me regret bringing you.” 

Claire glared, but followed Jo anyway. She wanted to have a look around, and maybe find some clue that would point them in the direction of her father. Her mother had been dead for years, surely she could wait a little longer. 

Claire tried to keep with with Jo’s pace,finally slipping into the open doorway. There had clearly been a struggle. The couch was overturned, the side table in splinters. There was a broken vase littering the carpet and the sliding glass back door was completely gone. It wasn’t at all like with Claire, her father had been nabbed away from home. 

Claire walked around the living room, bending down to pick up a broken picture frame. There was a picture of a family inside, with two boys around the same age grinning at the camera. 

“They’re fraternal twins” Jo said from behind her. “Only one of them is gifted, they took them both, and their parents.” 

“Why are they interested in the parents?” Claire asked, looking over her shoulder as she put the frame back down. 

“No clue,” Jo replied, with a shrug. 

Claire looked around, wondering at the change. With her, they had grabbed her father first, but here, they'd grabbed them all at once, as if they couldn't waste time being more careful. She didn’t want to think about what that meant for her father. 

Officer Gabriel stuck his head in the door, long hair flapping.. “Jo, time to go. The real cops are coming back.” 

“Shit,” Jo sighed, grabbing the sleeve of Claire's jacket. “We gotta scoot.” 

Claire followed quickly, passing the two fake officers also on their way out. When they got to the car, Billie was leaning against the door. “I think I better come with you.” 

Jo didn’t argue, like Claire thought she would, just slipped behind the wheel and gunned the engine. Claire scrambled into the back seat and watched Billie get into the passenger seat. 

She waited until they got onto the highway to turn and talk to Claire. 

“How much do you know about your mother?”


	5. Chapter 5

Even three days after Billie told her the whole story, Claire couldn’t reconcile what she’d told her with the mother she knew, the mother who had been lying to her her entire life.

Her mother was a mutant. 

On their ride back to the Academy, Billie told her about the Amelia Novak she knew, who she had grown up with. Her mother was a telepath, like Jody and Alex, and she helped found the Academy. She’d fought for a place for the gifted to go before she met Claire’s father. 

Billie talked until they got back, and Claire got angier and angier the more she listened. She’d been lied to her entire life, and kept in the dark. Her mother was like her, and instead of allowing her daughter to go to the refuge she’d created, she’d been locked away like a freak. 

What made it worse was that Jody refused to talk to her about it. Jody had known her mother the whole time, and said nothing. Every time Claire asked, she changed the subject. She’d assure her they were looking for her father, and then excuse herself. 

It wasn’t good enough. Not anymore.

Claire couldn’t breathe when she thought about what they were doing to her father, her brain making up the most horrible scenarios it could muster and torment her with them in the middle of the night. She’d wake up soaked and shaking, her mind racing. 

If Jody wasn’t going to give her the answers she needed, she was going to find them herself. 

If her memory served her well, her mother’s journals should still be at her house, hidden away with the rest of her things in boxes in the attic. Her father never had the heart to throw anything away, and she doubted if he’d destroyed her journals. Hopefully those would shed some light on who her mother really was before she’d turned away from being a mutant. She had to know.

Jody had nixed the idea of going back to her house early on in Claire’s tenure at the Academy, claiming it was too dangerous to go back. If Bela knew where her father had worked, then she certainly knew where he lived. Rowena and her minions could be watching the house, Jody said, and every time Claire broached the subject with her, she was met with the same answer. 

Claire picked her night carefully, one when she was sure it was good and dark. She couldn’t risk being seen, couldn’t risk getting caught out. For all their smiles and niceties, Claire didn’t doubt Donna and Jody would protect their charges with an iron fist, and she didn’t want to push them. 

She waited until she was sure Krissy was asleep and slipped out of bed, dressed all in black, a stark contrast with her white wings. Claire tip-toed down the hallway, into the kitchen and slipped out the side door. 

The new moon cast no light, and Claire could barely see as she slunk across the grounds of the Academy and into the woods. It wasn’t until she cleared the trees that she took flight. 

Claire started at her father’s office, the very same place she’d last seen Bela. It took her a bit to find her father’s things. The corner office he’d occupied had been cleaned out, his personal possession moved into a dusty closet down the hall. His effects yielded no more evidence than the first time she had gone through them but they were infinitely more precious this time around. 

Claire’s hope of finding him alive had faded more and more, as her time at the Academy grew. She fingered the doodled on the side of her father’s work, noted the smudges on the glass of the picture frames, right over her mother’s face,and resisted the urge to curl up in the closet and cry. She just wanted someone to hold her and tell her it would be alright, but the only person she wanted, was gone. 

Finding nothing, she took wing again, taking a detour she had avoided for so long. 

The cemetery was as she’d expected it to be: dark and quiet. The plot where they’d put her mother to rest was towards the back, under a tree. She’d only been there once, the year after her mother died, right before dusk when there was no one around. She barely remembered what the headstone looked like, but it wasn’t hard to find. 

It was white, standing out in contrast against its darker brethren. Her father had wanted something bright, and since they didn’t come in colors, it was the best he could do. There was a dried bouquet of pink roses resting in the metal holder, bearing the mark of the florist down the street from their house. There were other little trinkets too, that made her heart ache; little rocks painted with a childish hand, a dingy third place medal from her fourth grade field day, one of her feathers. 

Claire knelt in front of her mother’s headstone, her hand pressed to the cool marble. There were so many things she wanted to say, that she wanted to know. Even in the wake of her anger at her, she couldn’t muster anything. She would give anything to be able to yell at her in person, because it would mean she’d be there to hold her afterwards. 

“I miss you,” she started, ignoring the quiver in her voice. “I wish you had told me about… well everything. You, the Academy.. Just… if you’re listening, take care of Dad.” 

She picked up a rock from the ground, put it on the headstone and walked away without another word. 

The last place she went was home. She’d never made such a long journey before and her wings ached by the time she touched down in her backyard. It was much the same as she remembered it. The hide-a-key was in the same place they’d left it, out behind the ladder that hung behind the house, and she used it to get into the back door. 

The house was dark and quiet, and exactly how she had left it when she locked up the day she’d been taken to the academy. It wasn’t as if she and her father had many friends who’d be worried if they weren’t seen for a few weeks. 

Claire crept up the stairs, careful to skip the creaking step and slipped into the vacant kitchen. It was stuffy and hot as she surveyed the mess that had been left. There was only one breath of fresh air and by the time it reached Claire, it was too late. 

When she woke up, on her kitchen floor, she was almost overcome with a feeling of deja vu, from when she woke up with Krissy’s yellow eyes staring down at her. 

But there was no Krissy here, no clean sheets and breakfast. Just another copy of herself staring back at her from a rickety chair.

“The thing about birds is they always come home to roost,” Other- Claire said, spinning the chair halfway around and then back. 

“ Hello Bela.”

Claire watched as her own face melted away and was replaced by Bela’s blue countenance and red grin. “Hello birdie,” she replied. “Out a little late for a school night,are we?” 

“I want to see Rowena,” Claire said firmly, taking a deep breath and sitting up. Her heart was jumping in her chest. She knew she wasn’t in the position to make demands, but she hoped it would work. She would rather be taken to Rowena than have Bela kill her here and now. At least being taken, she would have more time to come up with an escape plan. 

Bela got up from the chair, crossing her arms with a smug smile on her face. “Now you want to see her? Why the sudden change of heart?” 

“Are you gunna take me to Rowena or are you just gunna yap?” Claire’s voice was much more confident than she actually felt. She was alone, in an alien environment and she hadn’t quite forgotten the beating she has suffered the last time she and Bela met. 

Bela’s nostrils flared, and for a moment, Claire thought she was going to get hit, but Bela just smirked. “Do those wings fit in a porsche?” 

~~~~~  
Bela wasn’t lying about the porsche. 

The trip was much shorter than she expected. Rowena was living in a normal looking house, in a normal suburban neighborhood, not unlike Claire’s own. Bela pulled into the red house at the end of the cul de sac and turned the car off. 

She slunk out of the car with the grace of a panther and headed towards the door, watching Claire closely. Bela hadn’t slipped up for a moment and her plans for escape all came to nothing. 

Claire took a deep breath and followed suit, the hair pricking up on the back of her neck. She had to keep her wits about her. She didn’t trust Rowena farther than she could throw her, but if it could get her to her father, she would take anything she could get. 

Claire trailed Bela inside, hands in her pockets. She’d stopped carrying her knife since she’d been at the Academy and she was kicking herself for it as she walked into the living room. 

Seated by the hearth in a plush wingback chair, was a woman, her long red hair spilling in ringlets over her shoulders. She was neither old nor young, but somewhere in between, and her luminous eyes had an ageless quality to them. 

“Hello, Claire,” 

“Rowena.” 

The woman nodded. “Aye, that would be me,” she responded, her voice soft and sweet. “ I’ve been trying to meet with you for sometime now.” 

“If by meeting you mean kidnapping, yeah, okay, sure,” Claire kept her tone even. As confident as she was trying to come off, she was still terrified, and she didn't want to tip her hand. 

Rowena fixed her with a piercing stare. “Would you like some tea?” she asked nonchalantly, as if she hadn’t just had Claire taken against her will. A delicate china teapot came floating over to her on a bed of red buzzing energy, two teacups floating along behind it. 

In her old life, Claire would have been amazed, enchanted even, but after spending months with Jody, Donna and the others, this was boring. 

“Where is my dad?” 

The cups and teapot floated down in front of Rowena and she began pouring the tea. “How do you take your tea?” 

“How do I take my tea? What did you do with my dad!?” 

“Two lumps of sugar than,” Rowena replied, ignoring Claire completely as she filled both cups with steaming liquid. She plunked down two sugar cubes and the cup floated towards Claire. 

Claire was so angry she couldn’t see straight. She wanted to snap Rowena in half, wanted to shake her until she told her where her father was. Her wings bristled in anger, and she knocked the cup to the floor, shattering it into pieces and spilling tea everywhere. 

“Tell me where-” Claire’s outburst was shut off by a red floating hand at her throat, cutting of her air supply as well as her complaint. She tried to move her wings, but she found them pinned in a similar manner. 

Rowena got to her feet slowly, her eyes narrowed at her guest. “That china is worth more than your miserable life, girl,” she snarled, her face still pretty in her anger. “Didn’t your father ever tell you, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar?” 

Claire struggled at the mention of her father, but only succeeded in tightening Rowena’s hold on her. 

Rowena’s face bled into a smile, and she started circling Claire, watching her like hawk. “That’s what it call comes down to doesn’t in, wee bird? Your da?” she taunted. “What makes you think I know where he is, hmmm?” 

Tears sprang to Claire’s eyes and she struggled the breathe, fighting for every wisp of air she pulled in. Once again, she’d underestimated what she was going up against. 

But suddenly the grip against her throat loosened just a bit, and she sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. Her wings however were still pinioned together in Rowena’s red mist. 

“You see the power I have?” Rowena asked Claire, watching her squirm in her grasp. “The power we could have over humans if Jody would just let go?” She laughed. “You could have all of this. No rules, no restrictions, no more hiding in the shadows anymore while they run the world. We could have everything!”

Claire felt the bile in her throat rise as Rowena talked. She was exactly like Jody had told her; narcissistic, haughty and obsessed with power. 

“You could join us, Claire,” Rowena offered. “Have everything you’ve ever wanted, everything your parents hid from you.” 

“You hag!” Claire spat back, struggling with renewed vigor. “Where’s my dad!?”

Rowena stopped her monologuing and glowered at Claire. Her hand came up from where it had been on her side and Claire felt her airway contract again, until she could no longer breathe. 

Claire’s vision began to blur around the edges, and she clawed at her throat. Had her father died the same way she was going to, strangled to death by an unseen force? 

“Who’s the hag now, darlin?” Rowena cackled, her fingers taut with the force of her power. “It’s really too bad about your da, who know, maybe he’ll be seeing you soon.” 

The grip around her tightened and she choked, tears blinding her. Her whole body thrummed as she struggled to breathe. This was it. Her vision went dark, and she slipped farther and farther down in the blackness...

In her state, it took her a moment to realize when Rowena had let her go, and Claire dropped to the floor in an unceremonious heap. She blinked at the commotion going on around her, taking deep, gulping breaths. She barely registered the hands picking her up, but she tried to fight weakley against them.

“Stop, Claire. We’re here to get you.” 

Claire stared up into a familiar face, and Krissy offered a grim smile. “C’mon, let’s go. Jody can hold Rowena off for just a bit longer…”

“Jody came?” Claire asked, accepting Krissy’s help in getting to her feet. “But I left… I disobeyed her… I -”

Krissy chuckled as she looped an arm under Claire’s wings. “You think you’re the first to run away from the Academy and get involved in something dangerous? I think I ran away four times the first six months I was at school.” 

Claire’s vision began to clear as Krissy helped her out of the room, and for the first time, she became aware of the battle was raging around her. Several of the older girls from the Academy were there, along with Jody and Donna. 

Jo had Bela against a wall, and Donna was shooting off lasers at a red-haired mutant woman that Claire hadn’t seen before. But what riveted her attention the most was Jody. 

In the months she’d been at the Academy, Claire thought she’d seen Jody angry, but it was nothing compared to the emotion wrought on her face now. It was absolutely terrifying to behold. 

She had Rowena separated from the rest of the crowd behind some sort of barrier. Rowena was throwing red energy at her, and it splattered against it like water thrown against glass. Rowena attacked over and over, shaping and consolidating her energy into different shapes to try and get around the barrier, but Jody wasn’t budging. 

Claire couldn’t tear her eyes away, but Krissy urged her out. 

“We gotta go,” the blue girl half dragged Claire towards the door. “I’m only here to get you out and I had to beg to even come along. We’re supposed to get in Jo’s car and get back to the school.” 

“We can’t just leave them!” Claire protested, struggling to look back. 

“Yes, we can,” Krissy replied, her eye eyes glowing in the dark. “Jody’s much stronger than Rowena. She’s only holding her off until we can get away. They’ll be right behind us.” 

“No, we have to go back!” Claire’s wings beat behind her, “We can’t just-”

“I’m so sorry about this, Claire,” 

“About wha-” Before Claire could react, Krissy grabbed her, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing her tightly.

With a poof, they were gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Claire awoke a couple hours later, warm and safe in her bed at the Academy, Jody sitting next to it, huddled over a cup of coffee. It took her a moment to notice that Claire was awake and she smiled tiredly. 

“Jody, I’m so sorry. I didn’t-” 

Jody waved her off. “It’s alright,” she assured her, putting a hand over Claire’s. “I shouldn’t have kept so much from you regarding your mother. She was a close friend and the thought that I was the one explaining it to her daughter instead of her was too painful for me. I was selfish.” 

Claire shook her head, but Jody kept going. 

“I met her a long time ago, long before you were born, before she’d met your dad. There was an underground group of gifted individuals, myself, Donna, Billie, your mother and Rowena. We had dreams of building a school for new mutants, to teach them how to use their powers, to give them a place that they could belong, but Rowena had different ideas. She wanted us to rise up and take our places as the rulers of humankind, or some bull-pucky like that,” she rolled her eyes. “We had a difference in opinion in that regard and Rowena left, with some of the students who shared her... philosophy.” 

“Bela?” Claire questioned. 

Jody nodded slightly. “You got it. They’ve been trying to recruit ever since. Most of the time, they aren’t a problem, but recently…” 

“Do you think they’re behind the kidnappings?” Claire asked. She didn’t have to say that she was thinking of her dad, and Jody’s eyes grew soft. 

“I don’t know. There are plenty of other groups that want to hurt mutants, but I wouldn’t rule it out just yet. We have to be careful, Claire. I’d like to avoid full on war with Rowena. There could be casualties.” 

Claire swallowed her frustration, and looked down. She knew Jody was right, that Rowena wouldn’t confine her fight to just the mutants, she’d look to take out as much innocent life as she could.

“Your father only wanted what was best for you. He wanted you to be safe, that’s why he wanted you to come to the Academy.” 

Claire froze. “He knew about the Academy?” 

“After your mom died… I approached him about you coming,” Jody began. “He couldn’t believe what he was hearing He didn’t know your mom was gifted, he thought what happened with you as a fluke. I showed him everything.” she told her. “ He was hesitant at first, he thought you would be safer at home with him, but eventually he thought it would be good for you to be around people like you, to have friends.” She smiled. “The interview he went to was actually supposed to be our last meeting about the arrangements for moving you to the school.” 

“He never told me anything,” 

“He didn’t want to overwhelm you,” Jody explained. “When he didn’t show up for our meeting, I had a hunch that he’d been taken, so I started watching you. That’s how I found you when Bela attacked. We’ll find him, Claire,” Jody put a reassuring hand on her arm. “We’ll find all of them, but for now, you need to focus on your lessons. There’s much more to being a mutant than just mastering your powers, so much more. The only way to can help right now is to stay put, and be ready.” 

There was a loud knock at the door, and Claire turned to find Krissy waiting, with a sheepish look on her pretty blue face. 

“I’m uhhhh sorry for grabbing you like that,” she said. “I didn’t know it would knock you out. I’ve never taken anyone else along before.” 

“It’s alright,” Claire told her. “Just don’t do it again anytime soon.” 

Krissy smirked. “You got it,” she replied. “Eileen, Charlie and I are going out for a picnic, you wanna come?” 

Claire looked at Jody, who simply smiled at her. “Go on. It’s about time you had some fun.” 

~~~

Krissy could not have picked a more beautiful day for a picnic. The sky was clear and blue, with the sun shining down on them. There was a pleasant breeze that kept them cool, and a tree to give them shade. 

Charlie laid out the worn flannel blanket in the shade, and put down their basket next to it. They’d swiped an assortment of sandwiches from the lunch room, and thermoses of steaming tomato soup. There were cookies and milk, and small lemon tarts that Claire had come to love. 

The girls chattered animatedly as they ate their lunch, all of them trying to avoid the topic of Rowena. It was a breath of fresh air for Claire, who had thought about nothing but the red-haired woman and her father from the moment she’d got here. 

Claire suggested they go for a walk after they finished eating, enjoy the sunlight and get a little exercise. The other girls walks and Claire leapt into the air, stretching her wings as she soared above them. It was nice to be able to fly unencumbered, not worried about anyone seeing here, and with no destination in mind. It reminded her of all those carefree nights in the clearing by her house, before she’d know any of this. 

She soared up high, showing off a little, until she spotted something, someone standing on the edge of the field, someone who she would know from anyone else. 

Her father. 

Her father was standing on the edge of the field, his eyes turned skyward, tracking her progress through the air. Claire stopped mid- flight and made a complete 180. She darted towards the edge of the field, hurtling towards her father at a breakneck speed. She flew faster than she’d ever flown in her life, tears beading in her eyes and immediately being wicked away by the speed of her flight.

But as she got closer, her father disappeared, going as quickly as he came. Claire hit the ground and started running towards where she’d seen him, desperate for any trace that he had been there. 

She grabbed at the ground where he had been standing but there was nothing obvious. Claire crawled, examining every stick until she found what she was looking for, a partial bootprint in the spring mud. 

Charlie, Eileen and Krissy were behind her now, having run over from where she’d left them, breathing hard. 

“What the heck Claire?” Eileen huffed. “What did you see?” 

Claire wiped away the tears that had started forming again in her eyes. “My dad, he was here, just a second ago,” she explained to them. “I saw him. He was here… look.” she pointed to the print in the dirt. 

Krissy came over and put her arm across Claire’s shoulder. “Claire, we didn’t see him…” 

Claire glared at her. “I’m not hallucinating! Hallucinations don’t leave prints!” 

“It could have been there before we came,” Charlie added, standing over them. “Someone else’s. A million people could have that same pair of boots.” 

Claire shook her head. “This is from my dad, there’s a tack in the heel of his boot, just like with this one, how many people would have it in the same spot?” 

“We’d better get Jody and Donna,” Krissy said, and she disappeared. 

~~~~

Krissy returned a half hour later with Jody and Donna in tow, their faces hard as slate. Claire showed them where she had seen her father, and the boot print in the mud. Jody crouched to touch it, closing her eyes. 

She jolted awake a couple seconds later, looking at Claire intently. “You saw him?” 

Claire, expecting another rejection, nodded slightly. “He was there. Really there.” 

Jody turned to Donna. “Have the girls fan out. Search everything, let me know if you find anything.” 

Claire was shocked, but happy. Jody had been resistant in the past, but it seemed that she’d seen something when she touched the footprint. Claire’s heart leapt in her throat at the thought of seeing her father again. She wanted to hug him and never let go.

After four hours, it felt like they’d searched every blade of grass in the meadow with no additional information. Other than the footprint, there was nothing else that indicated her father had ever set foot in this place, and Claire felt sick to her stomach. 

She had seen him, she wasn’t hallucinating or was she? She didn’t know anymore. Was she so desperate to find her dad that she’d made it all up?

A hand squeezed her shoulder comfortingly, and Claire turned to find Jody standing behind her. 

“I’m sorry,” Claire started, her eyes filling with embarrassed tears. “I thought I saw him. I thought-” 

“You did see him,” Jody told her. “He was here, Claire. I saw it when I touched the footprint. He was here,” she reassured her. “But he wasn’t alone.” 

Claire’s hearts stuttered to a stop in her chest. “Who was he with?” 

Jody’s glance was murderous as she turned to look at Donna. Claire could see her fist clench tightly at her sides until her knuckles turned white. 

“Rowena.” 

~~~~  
“What do we do?” Claire asked, as they headed back to the school. Jody and Donna were talking animatedly in front of the girls, leading the group back towards the school. None of the other girls talked, exchanging worried looks between the five of them. 

Eileen offered her a pointed look. “We don’t do anything,” she said quietly, her gaze flicking to the front of the pack. “We let Jody and Donna handle it.” 

“But my dad-” 

“Claire,” Eileen replied. “Your dad would want you safe. You only barely got away last time. Trust Jody and Donna this time, please.” 

Claire knew she was right. She knew Jody had been right the last time they spoke, but she felt the desire to go out on her own come back so strong, it was like it had never gone away. Her father was so close, how could she sit back and do nothing?

She looked at the girls around her, Charlie, Krissy and Eileen, her friends. They’d supported her through the past couple of months, listened to her ramblings, especially Krissy. They’d never told her to shut up, or go away.

She looked at Jody and Donna, who had taken her in without question, who’d helped her learn to use her powers, who’d saved her even though she’d went directly against their judgement. They’d trained her and taken care of her. She couldn’t do that to them. She wouldn’t put them in danger. 

The rest of the trip back to the school was silent. 

Claire felt as if she was falling asleep on her feet as they stepped foot in the school foyer, and it seemed like a lifetime ago that she woke up and talked to Jody. 

Her father was still alive, that was enough for one day. Tomorrow she could concentrate on finding him, but after a stressful day, she needed a good night’s sleep to be able to function. 

Claire took a shower and got into bed on auto-pilot, going through the motions, but not really registering anything. She could tell Krissy was about as tired as she was purely from the fact that she didn’t talk. Normally Claire had to cut her off when she wanted to go to bed, because she was so chatty. Now she found she missed it. Her head hit the pillow and Claire was almost instantly asleep. 

She didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping when she was roughly grabbed. Claire opened her eyes, and tried to scream, but there was a hand clamped around her mouth. She only saw a flash of the scene before her, Krissy being held in the same fashion, before a bag was shoved over her head and everything went black. 

~~~

 

Claire awoke strapped to a gurney, duct tape over her mouth, staring up into a bright light. She tried to move her head, but that was strapped too. She couldn’t move any part of her body more than a couple centimeters either way, held tight by her contraints. 

She didn’t have to wonder for long who had taken her because Bela leaned over her, leering at her. 

“Hello Birdie.” 

Claire struggled again, glaring daggers at the other mutant. 

“I wouldn’t bother, Birdie,” Bela taunted her, circling the gurney. “You ain’t going nowhere. I’m sorry about your little friend though. She’ll be okay... I think.” 

Claire’s heart pounded. If they had hurt Krissy to get to her...She tried to flex her wings, but they too were strapped down. There was no way for her to get free, she was stuck. 

“Stop playing with her, Bela,” Rowena told her associate, stepping into the light. “We have work to do, no time to dawdle.” 

Bela hurried away and returned with arms laden with all sorts of medical equipment, tubes, and needles, and bags of different colored liquid. She laid them out on the metal table to Claire’s left, arranging them in precise order. Once she had finished, she stepped away only for Rowena to take her place. 

“Now, now, darling,” Rowena patted Claire’s head. “Don’t worry your pretty little head off,” she turned to Bela. “Bring him in, would you?” 

Bela wheeled another gurney over, parking it next to Claire. 

There, after all this time, was her father. 

His eyes were closed, but he was breathing. The bags under his eyes were as purple as pansies, and the skin of his inner arms was pockmarked with healing holes from IVs. He was skinnier than she’d ever seen him, his cheekbones looking as if they would rip through his skin.   
Rowena reached over and ripped the tape off Claire’s mouth. “Aren’t you going to say hello? You’ve only been yapping about him for months.” 

“What have you done to him!?” Claire snarled, struggling again with renewed vigor. Her father didn’t stir. He wasn’t even tied down. 

Rowena laughed as she worked with the solutions on the table. “Nothing much. Nothing….lasting. He’ll be up soon.” 

“Why?” Claire snapped at her. “Why him? Why us?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing personal, dearie,” Rowena replied, turning to Claire’s father, and tying a strip of rubber around his bicep. She slipped one of needles into his arm, and hung one of the bags of fluid on the stand. “I just needed to know. The world needs to know.” 

Rowena picked up another needle and turned back towards Claire. 

“What do they need to know?” Claire asked, struggling to get lose, anything to get her away from the needle and Rowena. 

Rowena steadied Claire’s arm, holding it down as she pushed the needle into her skin. “Why, how mutants are created, of course,” she hung the bag, and Claire watched in horror was the liquid made it’s way down the tube and into her body. “Now, this won’t hurt….too much.” 

But Claire didn’t hear her, all she heard was the sound of her own screams as they erupted from her throat.


	7. Chapter 7

Claire didn’t know how much time had passed when the pain stopped. Her throat tasted like new pennies , and her head was swimming, from the drugs or from screaming, she didn’t know. Her skin where she was bound was rubbed raw and red from her struggling. Rowena had gone, leaving Claire alone with her dad. 

He hadn’t moved once throughout the whole procedure, not even when Rowena picked him with needle after needle. His breathing was shallow, and there were times Claire would wait for it to stop all together. She wanted to hear his voice, wanted to hear him tell her it would be okay, that someone would save them, but she also didn’t want him to go through the pain of what she was going through. 

She’d lost count of how many tests Rowena had run on them, each one more bizarre and painful than the last. She’d had blood taken, and all different manner of liquids pumped into various effects. Rowena and Bela had been in and out, scribbling furiously as they took samples, and noted their vital signs. 

Bitter tears had formed in her eyes, and once she was sure she was alone, she let them go. This was all her fault, everything. If she’d listened to her father, and not gone out, Bela never would have seen her and her father would be safe and happy at home. Krissy and the others would be safe at school, instead of being manhandled and god-knew what else by Rowena’s minions. 

Claire knew that tears would do her no good, but once she’d started crying, she found that she couldn’t stop. Tears ran down her cheeks and clung to her neck, dripping into her hair. She wanted her daddy. 

The click of the door told her Rowena was back, and Claire turned her head away as she heard the clunk of her heels against the concrete floor. “Ready to start again, dearie?” 

Claire didn’t respond. 

“Suit yourself,” Rowena shrugged as she pulled the next IV bag from the table. 

Claire waited for the telltale pinch on her arm but it never came. Instead she heard Bela’s voice. 

“Boss, there’s a problem,” she said, full of urgency. 

Rowena sighed dramatically. “What is it now?” 

“We got company,” Bela responded. “Like now.” 

Claire’s heart lept. She could hear the edge in Bela’s voice, the uncertainty. It could only mean one thing. 

Jody and Donna were here. 

“I’ll be back in just a bit, dearie,” Rowena told Claire, getting up from her chair, red crackles of electricity arcing between her fingers. 

Claire could hear a loud crash outside, and Rowena and Bela dashed from the room, towards the noise. Claire renewed her effort, struggling as hard as she could against the ropes that bound her, not caring that the friction again her skin was making her bleed. 

She began to scream, praying that whoever had come for her would hear. “Hey!” she yelled, as loud as she could go. “Hey, I’m in here!” 

A minute passed, then another and another, but no one came. 

“Help!” she called again, her voice cracking with emotion. “Please, help me!” 

Claire was beginning to panic. Her friends were here, but she couldn’t help them. Her heart pounded so hard she was sure it would pop out of her chest. 

Finally, she heard a familiar poofing sound, and then felt Krissy’s hands on her. 

“You’re safe, Claire,” Krissy whispered. “I’ve got you,” 

Claire felt something cool slide between her skin and her bounds, and then she was free. Krissy put her knife back into her belt. “We gotta help them.” 

Claire looked between Krissy and her father, who was still lying prone on the gurney next to where she’d been chained. He was still breathing with the same rhythm as he had been the entire time she’d been there. 

She couldn't abandon Jody or Donna or Jo, couldn’t leave Krissy and Charlie and Eileen to fight Rowena alone. Her father would understand. Claire nodded towards Krissy, and both girls ran for the door. 

The scene outside was utter chaos. 

Each of her friends were going against one of Rowena's minions, many of which Claire had never seen before. The red-headed woman whom Claire had seen the last time, and a blonde girl no older than her were ganging up on Jo. Donna’s lasers were shooting at Bela, who narrowly avoided them with her quick reflexes. 

The main even though, was Jody and Rowena, circling each other like lionesses fighting over a gazelle. Red sparks were crackling at Rowena’s fingertips, arcing from her left to her right and back again. 

“This is your last chance, Rowena,” Jody was saying, not taking her eyes off the other woman. 

Rowena laughed at her, her hands glowing red as they were engulfed with her energy. “Or you’ll what, dearie?” she taunted. “ You don’t have the balls for it.” 

Jody’s jaw grew tense and Claire could almost feel her power in the air. She never wanted to be on the wrong side of Jody’s gift. 

Claire turned as a scream pierced the air. 

Krissy had tried to step into help Jo, but the blonde girl had her pinned to the ground. Whatever she was doing to her, Krissy couldn’t disappear, couldn’t get away. There was no way she could fight back. Claire leapt into action, not even sparing a second for thought. She flew across the warehouse and kicked the girl in the face, with little regard for her own safety. 

The girl tumbled to the ground, lying still, but it was just long enough for Krissy to scramble away and regroup. Claire wasn’t so lucky, the red-head turned from Jo, and launched a twisted piece of metal at her, hitting her across her abdomen and knocking the wind out of her. Claire dropped to the ground, trying hard to take a breathe. Pain radiated from the front of her rib cage, and she thought at least one as broken. 

“You must be with the little birdie they’re always talking about,” she said, blasting Jo with the metal and knocking her into a wall . “I’m Abbadon and I’m going to be the last face you ever see.” 

The metal boomeranged around and flew towards her. Claire closed her eyes but the blow never came. She heard it clatter a few feet away and the weight of a body hitting the floor heavily. Claire cracked her eyes open carefully to see Abbadon lying on the ground near them, blood dripping from the gash on her forehead. Krissy was standing behind Claire, hands trembling as she stared down at the woman she’d just attacked. 

“I-is she dead?” Krissy stammered, looking over at Claire. 

Claire scrambled over to the prone woman, ignoring the pain in her ribs, feeling for a pulse with clammy hands. It was light, but it was there. “No,” Claire replied, trying to get up. Pain lanced through her and she only got up with Krissy’s help. “Let’s go get Jo.” 

Donna had Bela on the run, blasting holes in the floor and walls as she went, but Bela didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat. She kept casting Donna infuriating smirks over her shoulder as she evaded the blasts, but Donna kept her cool, not allowing Bela to throw her off her game, and gaining on her with every shot. 

Jo was lying on the ground, breathing but too still for Claire’s liking. Both girls ran towards her , careful to steer clear of the other fights. Claire shook Jo, grimacing at the way her head lolled from side to side. 

“We need to get her out of here, her and my dad.” Claire told Krissy. “Get them out of harm’s way.” 

Krissy gave her a skeptical look. “We can’t just leave Jody and Donna here.”

“We’re not going to leave them behind,” Claire said, as the wheels in her mind started turning. “We just have to give them time to get out.” 

“No,” Krissy said almost instantly. “No no no no. Jody would not like that. We can’t be bait, Claire!” 

“Jody isn’t here, is she?” Claire smirked at her. “Besides, it’s not going to be “we”, it’s going to be me.” 

Krissy opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it again. “What do you have in mind?”

~~~~

Claire was sure this would work. Even if it didn’t, it would at least buy Krissy enough time to get Jo and her father out. Krissy had her marching orders, drag Jo out, get her in the car and then return for her Dad and roll him out on the gurney. 

Claire scrambled up the ladder, using her wings to balance her in her quick ascent to the loft of the warehouse. The pain in her ribs made it hard to climb, but she did it anyway, until she got to the top. This wasn't’ her best plan, but she didn’t have a lot to work with. 

Above the chaos, Claire could see everything that was going on, Jody and Rowena were still facing off, Donna had Bela backed into a corner of the warehouse, and Abbadon was still lying on the ground where they’d left her, but the blond girl was nowhere to be seen. Claire looked around, hoping she had dragged herself somewhere after being hit, but no such luck. She had to go ahead with the plan, she didn’t have a choice. 

Claire picked up some projectiles from the floor of the loft, and taking a deep breath, launched herself off the platform. She began throwing what she had picked up, aiming for Rowena and Bela as she circled. With their powers, it would do much to help, but she could distract them enough for Jody and Donna to gain the upper edge. 

Across the corner of her vision, Claire watched as Krissy dragged Jo quickly across the floor from where she had fallen. The others didn’t seem to notice, too embroiled in their own battles and Claire’s makeshift cannonballs. 

Once Krissy had Jo out, Claire looped around to pick up another round of projectiles. She grabbed whatever she could carry, and took flight again, aiming for Rowena. Krissy had poofed back into the other room, and Claire could hear the rusty creak of the ancient gurney as she rolled it out of the room and into the mayhem of the warehouse. 

But that was where Claire’s good luck ended. 

She was circling Donna and Bela, when she felt the prickle of Rowena’s power, and then next thing she felt was the cold hard concrete of the warehouse floor as she hit it. Rowena had somehow thrown Jody off for a moment, and yanked Claire from the sky. 

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you it’s not nice to throw things?” Rowena hissed, as her power crackled over Claire’s body like a livewire. She felt paralyzed by it, as if every muscle in her body decided to lock up at once. Rowena advanced on her, her face beautiful and terrible in her rage. 

“If I had known the trouble you would be,” she growled, sending another jolt through Claire’s body. “I would have just killed you. But this is the thanks I get, for trying to help the mutant cause,” Claire writhed in agony as she was electrified again and again, helpless to do anything to stop it. “For trying to discover how mutants come to be.”   
It clicked in Claire’s brain, the pain radiating through her body making everything seem clearer, why Rowena had taken not just mutant children, but their families as well, why she had taken Claire’s father… She was trying to discover how to create more mutants. 

Suddenly the pain stopped and Jody got to her feet, blood trickling from her split lip. She raised her hand, her eyes blazing as she focused her energy on Rowena, giving Claire the chance to crawl away. 

If Rowena could create mutants, she wouldn’t have to woo them to her side, she could just bring them up in her philosophy and wreak havoc in only a decade or so’s time. She’d have her army. 

Claire could not allow that. 

She stumbled to her feet, her wings dragging on either side of her as she got up. She looked around, hoping to that Krissy had gotten out, but the gurney was just sitting by itself, the blue skinned girl absent. Claire’s heart began to pound when she heard her friend scream. 

Abaddon had awoken from where she had been lying, and she wanted revenge. Krissy was a blur as she went in and out of existence to try and escape the barrage of metal that was flying through the air. But Claire could tell her friend was tired, and it was only a matter of time before she couldn’t phase any more. 

Claire did the first thing she could think of. She picked up a rock and threw it. 

“Hey asshole!” She screamed, trying to draw Abbadon’s attention away from Krissy long enough for her to catch her breath. “Stupid bitch! Can’t even beat a couple of teenagers! You’re pathetic!” 

Claire could see Abbadon’s jaw clench at the insults, but it wasn’t enough, not yet. 

“You got the short end of the stick when it came to powers,” she yelled, even louder than before. “Metal powers? Really? Fucking lame. Is that all you can do, Metallica?” 

Claire’s taunt it’s mark and Abbadon flipped around to face her. 

“Need a second helping, birdie?” she growled, re-directing the piece of metal she was throwing at Claire. With so much warning, Claire dodged it easily. She hoped Krissy would take the chance to get out. 

The metal whipped around like a boomerang and Claire tried to fly, but found her feet stuck to the ground. Confused, she tried over and over, but no matter how hard she flapped, she was going nowhere fast. 

Abaddon let out a cackle. “Just metal powers?,” she grinned diabolically at Claire, and the length of metal floated over Claire’s head and to Abbadon’s side. “You should have stayed in school, birdie,” she said. “The human body is made of sixty percent water. Water is diamagnetic. In other words, you’re mine.” 

Claire knew she was in trouble now. The metal piece that was hovering close to Abbadon’s head began to move and Claire felt like everything was happening in slow motion. It flew through the air, inch by inch, second by second, growing ever closer to her heart. She braced herself for impact, wishing only that she had gotten to see her father one last time. Claire closed her eyes. 

But the blow never came. Claire opened her eyes, and there standing in front of her was a sight she thought she’d never see again. 

Her father was standing in front of her, looking like an avenging angel with his dark hair illuminated by the overhead lights. The metal pole had skewered his abdomen and all Claire could hear was the dripping of his blood and the clatter as he fell to the floor. 

“No!” 

Claire leapt forward, forgetting that Abaddon had her stuck. She fell to her knees, trying, and failing to get closer to her father. “Dad?” 

He turned his head to look at her. “Claire-bear?” his breathing was shallow. 

Nothing else around her mattered as Claire caught her father’s eyes, not the wave of power she felt wash over her as Jody blasted Abbadon back into the wall, not the shriek that Bela gave as Donna hit her with a beam of light. Everything else was numb as she crawled towards her father and pulled his head into her lap. 

“Dad,” she cried, tears seeping from her eyes, and down her cheeks. “Dad, I’m sorry. This is all my fault, if I’d never gone out of the house-” 

She felt his hand cup her cheek. “It’s not your fault, baby,” he told her, his voice raspy from disuse. “I- we are so proud of you. Your mother and I love you so much.” 

Claire put her hand over his hand. “Please, don’t go. I need you, please,” she begged, even though she knew that it was of no use. “Dad.” 

Claire felt his last breath leave his body with a shudder, and his hand go limp in hers. She didn’t know how long she sat there, crying against her father’s hand, until it went cold. She only looked up when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. 

“He’s gone, Claire,” Jody said softly, kneeling to wrap an arm around her shoulder. 

“Where’s Rowena?” Claire asked, finally allowing her father’s hand to drop. “What happened?” 

“She ran back to her hidey-hole, like she always does,” Jody explained, still holding Claire. “I used a psychic pulse, it broke Abbadon’s hold on you. I can’t use it that often, it drains me, but it can dampen the powers of anyone in range. She knows I’d kick her butt even without my powers.” 

Claire didn’t want to move. She couldn’t leave her dad there, couldn’t go home anymore. There was nothing left for here there. She heard footsteps as the rest of her friends surrounded them, Donna and Krissy coming to stand near them. 

“You don’t have to come back to the school, Claire.” Jody added. “I can understand if you want out after what’s happened.” 

Claire looked down at her father again. He had said he was proud of her, and Claire wouldn’t let him down. She would keep fighting, for other people like her, and continue the work her mother had started. 

“If Rowena thinks I’m giving up, that witch has another thing coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of you who read this story and have given me feedback<3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who inspired me and helped me finish this fic; Toastiel, Sammy Spirit WInchested and Naninka67.
> 
> I will be uploaded weekly so stay tuned!


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